Missing
by Kuraudiachan
Summary: When a yordle goes missing, all Hell breaks loose. Or maybe it's the best thing that could've happened to him.
1. Prologue

**I've had this stored and uncompleted for a very long time now and I think it's about time I force myself to finish this.**

 **Rumble is my favourite character and I kind of wrote this as a little appreciation story, since I don't see too many stories about him and he deserves more love.**

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Prologue

Rumble P.O.V.

I woke up suddenly, remembering where I was. I'd fallen asleep in Tristy again, but, this time, I'd done it on purpose. I groaned, covering my eyes with one hand and sighed. My whole body was in pain, and I hadn't really slept much…or at all well. My neck was stiff, and the fur around my mouth was damp, which I tried to wipe off with the back of my paw.

I got up, stretched and winced as I felt a sudden pain in my back appear. It took a few seconds for the discomfort to subdue, and when it did, I managed to relax my tense shoulders. I clambered off my mech and put on the clothes that I'd been wearing the day before, as I'd slept in my underpants.

I walked out of my "lab" and headed towards the League's canteen. Everyone was already seated at their places, and I walked as quickly as my stubby legs would let me to the yordle table.

"Guess who finally showed up!" Ziggs yelled, making more people turn to stare at me.

"Who did you sleep with, Rumble?" Tristana winked at me, giggling.

"What." I said plainly, grabbing a chair and sitting next to Kennen. They all had their special yordle-sized breakfast, and were eating it hungrily. Somehow, I wasn't feeling in the mood to eat. I wrinkled my nose at the smell of food and tried to not look at it.

"You're wearing the clothes you were wearing yesterday." She smirked. "Plus I went to your room to get you up, and you weren't there."

"You went into my room!?" I glared at her. "How dare you…!?" She cut me off.

"Are you sleeping with Poppy?" She giggled again, amused.

"Not that I know about!" The aforementioned yordle butted in quickly.

I grumbled in annoyance and disbelief at the whole scenario. Not what I was hoping to endure.

"So, where were you?" Asked Ziggs, truly intrigued.

"Working." I snapped.

"Yeah, right." Tristana said, smiling still. She really was enjoying torturing me.

I was feeling exasperated. I scoffed in her general direction, not wanting to get too angry that early in the morning. At least the rest of the yordles had lost interest in the conversation.

I decided to grab some food, so that I had something to do while I was there. I prodded at it with my fork and looked at it miserably. I regretted having entered the canteen in the first place. I wasn't hungry, or in the mood to be with other people. I just wanted to work on my mech until I passed out.

I looked up occasionally from my plate to have a look around me. Ziggs met my gaze, grinning wildly at me. He threw his head back and tossed some cereal into the air, trying to catch it with his open mouth. When he succeeded he looked at me, munching on it happily. It was almost as if he were keeping an eye out on me. I then turned to stare at Tristana. I'd had this huge crush on her for ages now, and all my attempts to get her closer to me had failed miserably. Especially after the new rumours that had reached my ears…

I couldn't help but look at her pretty little face bashfully, knowing that I couldn't stay annoyed at her for long, even if she had intruded into my room… where I had everything… in a mess. Dammit! I frowned at the thought that she'd seen just how disorganized my living space had been. I shrugged the idea away, knowing that we'd known each other for years now, and she didn't care if I was like that.

I needed to leave the canteen. I couldn't take the crowd and my thoughts any longer. I didn't think I would be able to last much longer feeling alone in such a place. Without warning, I moved my plate away from me, while getting up abruptly.

"Not hungry." I muttered while walking away. I heard someone calling my name out, but I just ignored it.

I decided to go to my room. It was in a special building that had been made for us yordles so everything was our size. My apartment was on the third floor, and luckily enough, no one else lived there, something that made me very glad. I went up the stairs and reached my door, opening it up quickly. I stepped inside and looked at it strangely. When was the last time I'd been there? I looked in the kitchen, and found filthy bowls and plates in the sink, waiting to be washed. I wrinkled my nose in disgust and moved over to my room, gingerly opening the door. My bed was unmade, but that was basically it. I thought it was going to be much worse. Had Tristana bothered to put my clothes away? No, probably not. I found all my dirty things in the bathroom, pilling up in the dirty linen basket, where I'd left them who knows when.

I decided I had to sniff what I was wearing at the moment. It reeked. I smelt myself. When was the last time I'd had a bath? It seemed like ages ago. When was the last time I'd had a decent meal? When was the last time I'd slept enough? Or well? My life was a total mess at that particular moment. And it had been like that ever since Tristana unknowingly friendzoned me.

It had been one night when Ziggs, her and I had gone to drink at Miss Fortune's bar. I'd had a few and he nudged me, encouraging me to do it and I asked her out on a date. Her response had been clear: "Silly Rumble, friends don't go on dates!"

I wasn't in the mood for a bath, even if I knew I needed to have one. I just didn't want to take care of myself. I didn't feel like I deserved it. I didn't want to feel clean, either. But I started to strip, a sigh escaping my lips, discarding my dirty clothes roughly. I even removed the goggles off of my head, and lightly put them on the basin before I got into the bath, turning the water on. I flinched as soon as the really cold liquid fell on my fur, but closed my eyes and resisted the urge to run away from it. It started warming up slowly, and by the time it was a nice temperature, I was already soaked. Turning the water off, I got some shampoo and rubbed my whole body with it, making foam appear quickly. I patiently ran my fingers through my mohawk, undoing the knots that formed and then letting it loose, covering my eyes. I pulled it back, annoyed, and continued washing the rest of my body.

I finished quickly, rinsed myself and got out, wrapping my body with a towel. I started rubbing it furiously against my fur, to dry it as much as possible. I didn't bother to put clothes on and walked towards the living room, in search for something to do. I placed myself on the sofa, grabbed a book and skim-read through it for a bit, while noticing I was getting cold because I hadn't really bothered to dry myself completely. I didn't care if I got sick. I just couldn't bring myself to care about anything anymore.

I heard a low knock on my door, which made my ears prickle to attention. Annoyed, I got up, holding the towel to cover my obvious nudity from the visitor as I walked over to open up.

"Hey Rumble" Ziggs grinned, leaning on the doorframe. "Can I come in? Or are you… busy?"

"You can enter if you want." I answered, turning around and leaving to let him walk in. I knew he was behind me because I heard him snickering, which only made me want to growl some more.

"Look, man, I wanna talk to ya." He then said, now serious, a rare trait in him. "I'll wait while you get some tog on."

I rolled my eyes, knowing that he hadn't seen me as I had my back turned, but I went over to my bedroom, grumbling lightly. I was guessing that it was going to be some sort of intervention, and I was in no mood for it. I quickly put on the first trousers I found and struggled to get into an old t-shirt. It was comfortable enough. I dried my fur a bit more before leaving my wet towel on my unmade bed, then I walked back into my living room to face Ziggs.

"Look, Rumble, we're very worried" he started but I cut him off quickly.

"Who's 'we'?" I snapped, unable to control my harsh tone.

"I'm not the only one who cares for you, buddy. Tristana does too." When I heard that name, I was unable to stop a snarl escaping my lips. He frowned at this, but continued talking. "Poppy cares, too. And others, look, I'm not the only one, okay?"

I narrowed my eyes at him, but kept silent, waiting for him to resume his conversation.

"We're worried about you. I just… wanted to know if you're alright."

"I am. I'm fine." I shrugged off his intense, worried gaze, but it still made me uneasy, even slightly guilty. "There is no reason for any of you to fret."

"Yes there is, buddy. We've noticed that you've stopped eating properly. And, where were you last night, huh?"

"Of course I'm eating." I scoffed, trying to hide the fact that it was an obvious lie. 'But I haven't been feeling hungry.' A voice moaned inside my head, as if to justify my behaviour.

Ziggs was silent for a moment, just looking into my eyes. I stared back at his, noticing the emotion in them, making my chest feel tight. 'This isn't right' I had told myself. 'It's my fault that he's feeling this way. _I'm_ making him feel bad.' I blinked, but remained silent.

"It's Tristana, isn't it?" He whispered, taking a step towards me. I looked at the floor, avoiding his intense gaze, biting my lip uncomfortably.

"I heard she's with Teemo." I whispered, staring at my bare feet. "Is it true?"

He took a deep breath before answering, and then. "I don't know. Just… don't listen to it, okay? They're just rumours."

"They spend a lot of time together. _A lot_ of time. Every time I see her, she's with him. How can I not think that they're sleeping together?" I was speechless then. My tongue fumbled with the words, so I closed my eyes and tried to relax. "C'mon, let's face it. Tristana hasn't really shown any interest in me. She doesn't care for me in the same way. She…" My voice cracked. Why was it so hard to express what I felt? My eyes watered as I fought back the tears trying to emerge from them.

"But ya don't wanna let her go. I know, buddy." Ziggs nodded, walking up to me and patting my back awkwardly. It was as if he didn't know what to say. And there I was, breaking in front of him, and not even caring that I was.

"I just…" I sucked in some air, and, without hesitating, said, as convincible as I was able to master. "I'm fine. Really." To add to the lie, I smiled at him. His answer was a positive one, his posture now more relaxed.

"Great, buddy. Wanna go do something?"

"Nah. Imma do some work on Tristy if ya don't mind."

"Nope. Have fun on your boring work!" He waved as he turned and walked away, chuckling.

As soon as he was out of my apartment and the door had closed behind him, I collapsed onto the sofa, letting out a sigh of relief. I was glad that he had bought it. I didn't want him worrying about me, it just made it worse on myself.

I hated this. I just wanted to get away from everyone and stop being a burden. I closed my eyes as a saddened sigh escaped my lips, making me pause. There was a knot in my tummy, but I ignored it as I put some shoes on and headed to my lab, to do something useful for once.


	2. Chapter 1

**Sorry this took so long to post, I got wrapped up writing the next part of this story. Thanks a lot for the reviews, follows and favourites. They really mean a lot to me and they make my day ^^  
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Chapter 1

Ziggs P.O.V.

"Rumble is missing."

It took my brain a whole thirty seconds to register what Poppy had just said. I blinked furiously, images of his lively smile coming to mind with the thought that I might not see him again.

All the yordles had been called to an emergency meeting, to which I'd been late. I hadn't known it was actually going to be _important_. Poppy hadn't beaten about the bush, she'd just uttered those three words and the tension was nearly palpable in the room. My own tummy twisted and I thought I was going to throw up.

"What?" I whispered in a harsh tone. 'No, no, no. It can't be.' I screamed inside my mind.

"Rumble didn't appear today when he had to play a match." The female yordle calmly said, raising an eyebrow at me. "We have looked in his apartment and his lab, and he's not there. We believe he has ran away."

But that didn't make sense. Not any.

"Can't be. Rumble wouldn't do that." I frowned.

"Fraid so, kiddo." She sighed, drooping her shoulders.

"He's probably been kidnapped or something!" I cried out, unwilling to believe what was right in front of me.

"His mech is missing too, Ziggs." Poppy whispered, her tone soft, as if telling a child to not be disappointed. "I know it's difficult for you to understand."

"But, but…" I tried to say something – anything! – but my lips just quivered mercilessly. 'Tristy is gone.' It was all summing up in my mind, logic surpassing hope, breaking it and crumbling into tiny pieces.

But it just didn't make sense. Why would he do this to us? Why would he do it to himself?

I got up, still not facing defeat and ran out of the room that we'd been assigned to speak things over.

I nearly fell down the stairs, then bolted down the hall into the lab section of the building. I knew where his was nearly better than I knew where mine was situated and got there as quickly as I could, breathless and trembling apprehensively. Opening the door in a rush, all I saw was the cluttered lab that I knew so well. And, to my dismay, no Tristy. She wasn't in her normal spot.

My heart started beating slower, as if time had stopped itself. It was weird to have barged in and not get a miffed look from my friend, but then a gentle greeting and maybe even a smile. It felt… empty.

'He _has_ ran away.' Was all I could think off, tears in my eyes, shock displayed clearly on my face. It felt like I'd been hit in the gut and the air had been knocked out of my lungs. I pushed the door open again and started up the stairs, to reach the room again. I burst in, panting and still surprised.

"It's not there!" I shouted at them, as if it meant that we were all going to die.

Heimerdinger scoffed, bobbing his head up and down.

"Rumble ran away…" I muttered, going back to my seat and slumping in it.

"While you were away, Ziggs" Poppy talked, looking directly at me, showing me how annoyed she was with my sudden leaving "We discussed the consequences of his actions."

"What's gonna happen to him!?"

"Well, if he doesn't come back soon, he will be banned from at least five matches, and… if he takes even longer to appear… he will be kicked out of the League."

"No! Rumble can't be banned!"

"I'm afraid those are the League's rules. He shouldn't have just ran away like that. It was unprofessional."

"I'm going after him. I'm the only one that can talk some sense into him." I abruptly got onto my feet

"No! Ziggs!" Tristana shouted at me, getting up too. "You'll get banned too."

"I don't care." I went towards the door, but she followed me and grabbed my shoulder. I shrugged her off and turned to look at her.

"Plus, how're you going to find him? Ziggs, don't be silly. I know you're not stupid. Don't do this. He'll come back when he feels like it. It's Rumble we're talking about."

"I'll find him. I know where to look." I lied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm leaving."

* * *

I'd been in my room for twenty minutes, packing. I'd narrowed it down to two shirts, some trousers and a few jerseys, just in case it got colder. I walked over to the kitchen, to stuff my backpack with food, which seemed the most important thing at that moment. I didn't know if Rumble would have thought about taking any grub with him, and knowing the way he'd been acting the past few weeks, I couldn't really rely on him to feed himself properly. I sighed, searching for stuff that wouldn't go bad if left out of a fridge.

A light knock was heard throughout my house, and before I could answer, the door opened, and then Tristana started calling me. I kept silent and stopped what I was doing, hoping that she would go away thinking that I wasn't home.

"I know you're there, Ziggs." I heard her say behind me. I sighed, turning to look at her, my shoulders drooping.

"Whatcha want?"

"Don't do it. Just, think about it." She calmly said, choosing a table to sit on. "Remember when we were kids and Rumble just disappeared one day? Well, it's just like that. He'll be back."

"Yeah, I remember. Remember that I went after him? Remember that _I_ **brought** him back?"

She kept silent, thinking of something new to say to make me reconsider what I was about to do. I _knew_ it was stupid, she didn't have to convince me.

"What's up with Rumble, anyway?" She asked after a while of watching me look in all the cupboards, picking out cans of food and the like.

"What do ya mean?" I answered absentmindedly, scratching my chin.

"Why'd he leave?"

"He's got an unreturned crush on someone." I mumbled, not realising the information that I'd given away before it was too late. I cursed myself as I saw the change of expression in her face. I tried to cover up my mistake clumsily. "Oh, you don't know her. She lives back in Bandle, that's why I'm going there to see if he went to see her or something." I was fumbling with my words by the end of my rant, but she'd paid it no heed.

"It's me, isn't it?" She whispered, her head lowering, her smile gone. She couldn't look me in the eyes, something I was secretly glad about.

"What?" I murmured, trying to avoid answering.

"Rumble likes me, doesn't he?" she asked again, this time a bit louder.

"Uh… no…"

"Oh, come on, Ziggs. I'm not stupid. His mech is named Tristy. He asked me out on a date. When he's around me he's all fidgety."

"Yes, Rumble's into ya." I grumbled, admitting defeat.

There was a silence, only disturbed by the sounds of me stuffing food into my backpack, and occasionally getting something out.

"I don't return the feelings." She whispered.

"I know." I answered, not really wanting to keep this conversation going. But, I couldn't stop myself, I had to ask. "You and Teemo…?"

"No." She sighed, rolling her eyes. "We're just friends. I don't know why people keep assuming, y'know? It's just annoying."

"Mmmhmmm" I put one last can in and then zipped it up. I swung the rucksack around my shoulder when I got to my feet and looked at her, silent apologies in my eyes.

"You know I don't approve of this, right?" She murmured, hopping back down from the table and coming closer to me. She squeezed my hand tightly. "Just bring him back, safe. You know what he's capable of doing… Be careful, ok?"

She hugged me tightly before walking out with me. I closed the door, and, for the first time in a long time, locked it. I gave her the key, telling her that I trusted her completely.

"You can have my food if you want. Don't really want it to get rotten…" I trailed off, feeling a little empty and sad with what she had previously told me. She nodded, and we stood there for a while, unsure of how to say our final goodbyes.

"Take care."

"You too." I said, turning around and walking away.

* * *

"You're making a mistake" Heimerdinger told me, walking past me. "You are not going to find him. You're only getting yourself in trouble."

"He'd do the same for me." I didn't look at him, only made my face sterner as he stopped in his tracks and started hopping behind me.

"Oh, really?" He asked. I swear I heard a snicker, which made me raise an eyebrow, incredulous. "Rumble would go looking for _you_?"

"Aha."

"To be clear here, we are talking about the same Rumble, right? The one that burns your fur while laughing maniacally on the battlefield when you're on opposing teams? The one that didn't even bother to tell you what was wrong? The one that left you in the first place?"

"You've made your point clear. Just because you don't like him doesn't mean anything. You don't know him."

"Oh, but I do. I know Rumble's fuelled by mainly rage. He is arrogant and self-centred. He wouldn't care if you went missing."

"Of course he would! He isn't heartless! And for your information, he is none of those things!" I bit my lip in order to not shout out a bunch of insults at the yordle. He was kinda my boss back at the University.

"Just think about it. You're risking far more than what you have to gain."

I scoffed at him, stopping abruptly. "Rumble's safety is worth _less_ than the League?"

"Rumble's fine, Ziggs."

"No, he isn't. I have a feeling here…" I pressed my thumb against my chest, frowning when I said it. "That he's not alright. And, I will do this. I'm bringing him back, just you wait and see."

He chuckled, bobbing his head and turning around, going back to what he was doing before. I didn't even bother saying goodbye to him, I was in a sour mood.

* * *

I was planning on really going back to Bandle. Maybe he'd be in the old junkyard, foraging for parts, trying to build a new machine or something. But I couldn't leave yet. My mind was racing, something bothering me, forcing my tiny feet accidentally to his place. I entered and was shocked by how _empty_ it felt. I took a few steps forward, awkwardly looking around, my eyes taking in every tiny detail which could possibly lead me to where my friend was.

I noticed he had gears and even a spanner just lying around the floor of his living room. His messy apartment forced out a little smile from me as I remembered he'd always been like this. Back in Bandle, when we were children and he'd sleep in on a Sunday when I wanted to play I'd sneak into his room, to wake him up by throwing the stuff that was on his floor at him. He'd always answer with a scowl or a grunt, and on a good day he'd toss his things back at me. It always ended with us playing together, be it at his place, mine or the junkyard. And when we were teens I'd found a few dirty mags that he'd sloppily tried to hide under a pile of clothing and I'd snicker for minutes on end until I'd winded him up enough and he'd get all defensive about it, saying he'd never seen them before in his life.

The memories of our childhood almost brought tears to my eyes as I tried to fight the ominous idea that there was a chance I wouldn't get to see him again.

I quickly searched his room, finding nothing of interest there, which made my heart sink a little. I shut the door to his apartment behind me and started walking again.

I went over to his lab next. By then it wasn't just sadness that I was feeling. I couldn't help myself and I ran my paws around the papers on his desk, shuffling them around in my despair. I knocked a stack of blueprints to the floor before my eyes scanned the room. There was a picture of us hanging on one of the walls and a mountain of books on shelves, but nothing that could help me figure out where he was.

It wasn't as if he'd leave a map with a marking saying "I'm going there" for everyone to see if he had made a run for it and wanted no one to know where he was.

I didn't even know why I'd gone there. Of course there wouldn't be any clues or leads for me. I sighed in defeat, about to grab my rucksack and leave when I turned to look at the empty place where Tristy should've been, my paws going to my head and tugging on my fur tightly. I was in so much pain.

Until it clicked. Tristy. Tristy! I screamed her name out as an idea struck. There was no way Rumble had managed to leave with his mech without no one seeing him. His beloved Tristy might be trustworthy in the battlefield, but she was big, loud and most importantly, slow. And that's how I reached the conclusion that someone must have seen him leave.

* * *

I swear I've never bolted down that aisle faster.

"Poppy! Poppy! Poppy! Poppy! Poppy! Poppy!" I screamed as I ran, walking past other champions who looked at me in concern. I finally reached her, when she was about to go to the bathroom.

"Ziggs?" She asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Poppy!" My mind still couldn't form a different word.

"Ziggs I swear to God if this is about Rumble…" She started but I stopped her by yelling.

"Tristy isn't there!"

For half a minute she looked at me as if I were deranged. Or stupid. It's as if she couldn't believe the ridiculous thing I'd said. She took a deep breath to calm down and stared into my eyes.

"Yes, Ziggs, Tristy is gone." She managed to tell me in her calmest voice, trying to reassure me. Maybe she thought I had gone into shock before and only now my brain had managed to register that piece of information.

"No, you don't get it! Tristy is gone!"

She couldn't take it any longer. "No, Ziggs, the one that doesn't get it is you."

"There is no way Rumble walked out of the Institute with Tristy without anyone noticing it."

Her brow furrowed and her expression become dark. She grasped my shoulder tightly as she took in what I was saying. Good thing she was pretty sharp sometimes.

"You're right! Plus, there are security cameras around!" She gasped, a hand covering her open mouth. "Why didn't I think of it sooner?"

She leaded the way towards the Head of the Tribunal's office and barged in, demanding to watch the security cameras footage. She had to do some explaining before we were given permission and they took us to the screening room.

"The sooner you watch him leave with your very own eyes, the better." I heard Poppy mutter, tapping her foot impatiently against the floor. "Then maybe you'll leave me alone."

We were in that room for nearly two hours. We watched all the footage from all the cameras starting two days ago up until the moment we rushed over to the office. Poppy stood beside me, open mouthed and wide-eyed while I did a victory dance. I was stupidly celebrating the fact that I'd been right before the reality sunk in. No Rumble. It didn't matter how you looked at it, the menace was nowhere to be seen on the tapes.

"Wh-Uh… What? He can't have possibly vanished!?" The yordle beside me screamed, placing her hands on my shoulders and shacking me. "Where is he, Ziggs?"

Even the Head of the Tribunal was in shock. "We'll… we'll use the magic detectors. See if there's any trace of magic that can explain this. If he's been teleported somewhere, we'll know."

It didn't take long for a bunch of humans with weird equipment to appear. I watched anxiously as they played with their machines around his lab, even outside it. Poppy was still with me, a hand squeezing my shoulder reassuringly. Now that she was a bit more relaxed, she apologized for her behaviour.

"Next time I'll listen to your gut." She whispered, and I nodded, but my usual energy was gone.

"Hey, Poppy?" I asked after a while.

She looked at me, a small smile spreading on her lips. "Yes?"

"We didn't watch the footage from the labs." I whispered.

"Oh. There are no security cameras down here."

The men had finished speaking with the Head of the Tribunal, who turned around and looked at us. "There are no traces of magic here. Not recent, at least."

"What… what does that mean?" Poppy asked, worried.

"It means Rumble's still here. He hasn't left the Institute." I spoke slowly, my eyes widening at the realization.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Ziggs P.O.V.

I wasn't happy about my hunch being correct, but at least it was something. I had run to my room and came up with a quick sketch of the Institute and the buildings surrounding it. I tried to make it as simple and realistic as possible and when I had it done, I looked over it quickly, to check if anything was missing. Then I hurried to find Tristana, who was with Teemo. I hadn't included him in my plans, but another brain on the job was actually a positive thing. I explained briefly what had happened and what we'd found and I showed them my map, explaining roughly where the security cameras were located. They listened intently and even asked a few questions.

"So, you're saying" Teemo spoke after I'd finished "that if Tristy had left the Institute, she would've been spotted by the cameras here or here."

"Yeah."

"But you watched the footage and you found nothing."

"But where is the mech, then? Where's Rumble? How come they've disappeared?" Tristana asked, her brow furrowed as she inspected my drawings.

"I don't know! That's what we need to find out!" I nearly yelled, throwing my hands up into the air before they rested against my head.

"And the magic detectors, are they reliable?"

"They told me they were 100% trustworthy. Like, they can't be wrong, all magic leaves traces and all magic can be detected."

"Let's look at it from a different point of view." Teemo started, frowning. "Why don't we treat it as if Rumble's disappearance and Tristy's disappearance are two different things?"

"But that's impossible!" I whined, slamming my head against the table.

"Hear me out, Ziggs. Let's focus on finding Rumble. So there are no security cameras in the living areas. What if he just took off from there?"

"No, I'm with Ziggs. There's no way Tristy and Rumble's disappearances are a coincidence. But this doesn't add up. They didn't teleport their way out, they didn't leave using the main gates…"

We discussed it for a few minutes, feeling like it got us nowhere. So, I decided we should take a break. It was getting pretty late, and it had been a long time since I'd had anything to eat. With all the things going on, I'd ignored my grumbling tummy.

"I'm going to get some food. You want anything? We can't come up with something on an empty stomach." I said, getting up.

"No, I'm fine. I'll look over your sketches while you're gone." Tristana said, shaking her head.

"I must say, these drawings are impressive, Ziggs." Teemo whispered, a small smile on his lips. "Didn't know you had it in you."

"Yeah, he's quite the artist." The female yordle answered, grinning back at him.

"Thanks." I muttered, my mind elsewhere. "Teemo? You want anything?"

"Eh? No, thanks. We had dinner a while ago."

On my way to the canteen to see if they had any leftover food, I found Poppy and Heirmendinger talking, probably about Rumble. I asked them to join me and they followed me while she was explaining what had happened earlier.

I offered her some food, which she gladly took. She had skipped dinner with me to watch the footage, and then we'd just forgotten, too wrapped up in the recent events.

The two yordles went back with me and Poppy and I started eating while they went over what we already knew. They were silent before Heimerdinger spoke.

"The only explanation I can come up with" He said, his finger tracing over the drawings "is that Rumble tampered with the security cameras."

"What?" I asked, incredulous.

"It's literally the only thing that makes sense. No magic, he just vanishes? It's scientifically impossible."

"But he wouldn't do that!"

"He would if he wants to get away! And to me it seems pretty clear that he does! Rumble's good with this kind of thing. He could've forced the tape to loop or something while he escaped."

We were all silent, letting that sink in.

"He's pretty smart, Ziggs." Poppy whispered, crestfallen. "If he'd wanted to leave, he'd make sure to make it impossible for us to track him down."

"Did he know about the security cameras?" Teemo asked.

"They are pretty obvious to spot." Tristana stated, pointing at one in the corner.

"I didn't know that there were security cameras!" I lashed out at them, my fists hitting the table. "What makes you think he would know?"

"There's one right there! Anyone could spot them! You're just not very observant." Poppy seemed pretty frustrated, but not as much as I was.

"And Rumble is?" I inquired, defensively. I knew him better than any of these yordles, and there they were, pretending that they did.

"He noticed when I got a new haircut." Tristana whispered, looking down at her intertwined hands. No doubt she thought that Heimerdinger was right.

"That's because he likes you." I snapped back at her.

"Ziggs." Poppy's face had softened. She placed a hand on my shoulder and gazed into my eyes with what was probably a comforting look. "I know you're only acting like this because you don't want the truth to sink in, but I think you need to calm down."

" _You_ calm down when it's _your_ best friend that's missing!" I snarled, getting up and brushing her off. "I'm leaving for Bandle. Where did I put my rucksack?"

I looked around me frantically until Heirmedinger cleared his throat, forcing me to look at him.

"Ziggs, don't do this. Don't put your career on the line for him." He warned, his face stern.

"He'll be back, Ziggs." Teemo smiled, probably thinking that would make me calmer. "And with another mech or something. Maybe he just needs some alone time."

"Just because _you're_ a loner doesn't mean _he_ fucking is." I growled, taking him aback. His face showed surprise and then sadness and I clicked my tongue. "I'm sorry for snapping at you. It's just… I don't think this is like when he made Tristy. He warned me then. He was excited about it. He wanted to prove his point. This time he's just vanished and we've got no lead and it's really upsetting… and…"

I started sniffing and sobbing at that point. I let my body fall limp against the chair and I felt Tristana hold my hand and smile sweetly at me.

"It's hard for us, too, Ziggs, but we're here for you. Trust us. And trust him. He's coming back. Please don't leave."

"What would you have me do?" I yelled, tears rolling down my cheeks, wetting my fur. I shut my eyes tightly, maybe to stop myself from crying any more.

"I'll talk to the Tribunal." Poppy whispered, sounding dead serious. "They'll conduct an investigation if you're that worried. But don't risk your career. You'll regret it if it really isn't something important."

* * *

Poppy came back with Vi and Caitlyn tailing behind. There had been the ones put on the case and had even came to hear us out, which was impressive, considering how late it was. I went over everything, while the others contributed by pointing out the stuff I'd accidentally left out.

"OMG, it's so cute!" Vi squealed, a teasing smirk on her face. "Yordles conducting an investigation! Cupcake, I say we let them continue on their own, it's just too adorable for us to interfere."

Her partner shot her a look before she cleared her throat. "Just ignore her. We'll do everything we can to solve this case."

"Thank you very much, officers." Poppy said, offering them a seat.

"I'm sorry, this might be a bit upsetting but I have to ask you some questions. Please answer truthfully and keep in mind that anything you omit will just hinder the investigation."

"Of course." The female yordle answered, eyeing me suspiciously.

"First of all, was Rumble acting strange before his disappearance?" Caitlyn asked, cocking her head to the left as she prepared to write down anything we might say.

"Yes!" Tristana hurried to answer. "He was very secretive! I mean, he's always been a bit reserved but he was acting strange. He would hardly be with us, and when he did, he looked scruffy, wearing the clothes he'd worn the previous day and stuff like that."

"He wasn't eating properly." Heirmendinger spoke carefully. I turned to look at him, surprised he'd picked up on that. I mean, I had, but because he was my best friend. Was whatever that had happened to him that obvious for everyone except for me? Was something wrong with Rumble that I hadn't picked up on?

"Care to elaborate?" Caitlyn asked.

"He would hardly go to the canteen, and when he did, I barely saw him eat anything. I mean, I don't know what it was like at his apartment, but…"

"He's right, he wasn't feeding himself properly." I said. "Not even at his place. I didn't notice, I…"

I stopped myself from sobbing when I saw the sad look the officers gave me, obviously struck by how much I cared for him.

"I'm sorry…" I sniffed, wiping my face with my paw.

"Don't worry. We understand. Did anything happen to him for him to act this way?"

There was a silence I decided to break, thinking about what she'd said before.

"He'd been rejected."

"What do you mean? Had some of his work been rejected or…?"

"I rejected his affections for me." Tristana whispered, a lump in her throat. "I didn't do it bluntly, and it was a long time ago, but Ziggs and I both think it had probably sunk in."

"The last time I spoke to him it was about this. He'd realised she didn't like him in the same way."

"Anything else that was off about him?"

"He was never in his home when we went to see him." Tristana stated.

"He claimed to be working on Tristy in his lab all the time. That's pretty much all I can think of." I whispered.

"I'm sorry, Ziggs." Heirmedinger got up. "I really think Rumble's run away. I'm not going to be of much help and it's really late. If you need me to answer any questions, I'll do so gladly, but that won't change my opinion on what's happened. Good luck on your investigation and I hope Rumble comes back soon, but I'm leaving."

He nodded curtly at us before toddling off.

"It does seem like he wasn't happy with his life." Vi yawned, stretching. "I think he run away, too. Hey, Cupcake, mind if I hit the sack too?"

Caitlyn turned to her partner, a mixture of confusion and suspicion on her face.

"O…kay?"

"Night, yordles!" Vi had already turned around and was walking away as she said those words, waving back at us.

Caitlyn looked startled as she tried to get her head back on the current investigation.

"When did you last see him?"

While everyone there except me told her about the time he went to the canteen for breakfast and then not have anything to eat, I spoke about the time I'd gone to see him.

"I even invited him to come do something with me… but I was too stupid to realise something was up…"

"Ziggs." Tristana put a paw on my shoulder, and I turned my head to look at her. "Don't beat yourself up about this. None of us noticed."

"Ziggs, I think you need to rest." Poppy sighed, her face full of worry.

"It is late." Caitlyn cocked her head and stared at me. "We will continue tomorrow. I have no more questions to ask."

I wanted to whine, to complain about it, but they had all done more than enough so I just settled with burying my face in my paws and quieting an incoming sob.

"He's taken it harder than I thought." I heard Teemo whisper to the other yordles.

"You go on, I'll take Ziggs to bed." Tristana placed an arm over my shoulder and closed the gap between us, leaning in. One of her paws reached out to remove my hands from my face, and she looked into my eyes when I finally uncovered it. "Ziggs…"

"We will find Rumble." Caitlyn spoke, and when I gazed at her, I found her standing up, a determined look on her face. "We will bring him home safe and sound. No, actually, _you_ will. I am certain of it."

"Yeah, Ziggs. Just you wait, he'll be back." Teemo smiled sweetly at me.

"Thanks everyone… for… for everything you're doing for him… and for me." I tried to smile but it was forced and hard, so I ended up giving up. "Good night."

"Sleep well." Poppy muttered as she walked away, looking back at me with worry.

Caitlyn bowed before heading out and Teemo snuck off before I noticed. Tristana and I were the only ones left in the room and I couldn't hold in the tears anymore.

"Hey, hey, don't cry!" She whispered, wiping the droplets away with her thumb.

"I can't help it, I miss him so damn much!"

"Aw, Ziggs, everything will be okay." She muttered, grabbing my head and rocking it gently against her chest, maybe to pacify my loud sobs. "We really should go to bed, though."

"Yeah…" I sniffed, forcing myself away from her grip. I avoided her gaze as I got up and started walking out of the room. She followed close behind, not daring to break the silence and before I knew it, we had reached my apartment.

"Don't cry." She managed a smile. "It doesn't suit you."

"I know." I croaked in between sobs.

* * *

We were eating our breakfast at the canteen when Caitlyn waved at me.

"Good morning, yordles." She said when she was within earshot. "I've had specialists inspect the tapes and the footage. The security cameras haven't been tampered with and the footage hasn't been forced to loop or anything."

"Okay…?" Teemo muttered, unsure of what to say. Tristana turned to me, a worried look on her face.

"What does this mean?" Poppy frowned, swallowing her cereal and lowering the spoon.

"What are you talking about?" Kennen asked, intrigued.

"Wait, wait." I stammered. "So, we're back to square one?"

"Seems like it." Caitlyn whispered, a sympathetic look on her face as she stared at me.

"But then… what other option do we have…?" I mumbled, looking back down at my now soggy cereal that I didn't really want to finish.

"Good morning." Heimerdinger spoke as he put down the tray with his breakfast on the table. He watched the human and then cocked his head to look at me. "What's going on?"

"The cameras haven't been tampered with." I sighed, pushing my food away and lowering my head.

"Oh."

"So, ahm… what are we going to do now?" Tristana grabbed my hand as she spoke gently, looking into my eyes.

"Really, what's going on? I don't understand anything." Kennen snapped, irritated after being ignored for so long. Poppy sighed and quickly informed the other of what had happened.

"Hmmm. What if he climbed out of a window or something?" He muttered after a small silence.

"Rumble? Climbing out of a window?" Heimerdinger nearly chocked on his breakfast. "Are you daft?"

"Or escaped through the roof?" Kennen was trying hard to come up with ideas, so I really couldn't be angry with him.

"He couldn't have done it with Tristy." I mumbled, feeling a little disappointed.

"But she's here… Oh, wait, never mind, you were talking about his mech."

Caitlyn cleared her throat, maybe to make us focus back on her.

"I could ask them to look again, just to be sure." She offered, but it was clear she thought it was hopeless.

I was about to reject her politely when the doors of the canteen opened with a bang and Vi came running in, a smirk on her face.

"Ziggs! Cupcake!" She screamed as she pushed her way to our table. She was panting by the time she got there but the smile was still on her features. "I've got a lead!"


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Rumble P.O.V.

The shackles dug into my fur, which, come to think of it, was a pretty lucky thing. If I were a stupid long-legged human, this whole ordeal would be much more painful, as my hairy body prevented the skin underneath to suffer any major injuries. I still attempted to let myself out, frantically battling the handcuffs that had me hanging from the wall, which just rattled insanely in that dark, empty room. To top off that wonderful situation, I was gaged, probably by my captor, knowing the mouth I had on me. I couldn't feel any clothes on me, which pretty much confirmed the fact that I was naked.

Suddenly, a switch was turned on and there was finally light in the room. I heard footsteps coming towards me and I struggled to get my eyes used to the new settings, frantically looking around, to get a clue of where I was.

Heirmendinger appeared, dragging a chair which he placed in front of me. He took his sweet time to sit down, eyeing my body up and down, his face showing plain disgust.

"Don't you think being naked makes it much more humiliating?" He commented, a tone of amusement in his voice. I kept my unwavering eyes on his, waiting. I wasn't going to let him break me, I didn't care what he did to me.

"But, I needed to make sure my suspicions were right." I wanted to scoff at him. What could he have thought of? That I was in fact, male? What colour my pubic hair was? Well, he was in for a surprise because it was the same tone as the fur all over my body.

His right hand was playing with a biro, tapping it unconsciously against the other, clicking his tongue and humming as he stared at me.

"And, indeed I was. You're suffering from malnutrition, Rumble. Being a bit careless, aren't we? I've devised three theories, actually, want to hear them?"

He was waiting. Searching my face, for any change in my features, any movements that might make him think he was getting to me. When he found none, he continued speaking.

"One: you are bulimic or anorexic. Two: it's a call for attention. Three: depression."

I stared into his deadpan look. A tiny trail of saliva left my mouth and the ever-present gag felt more uncomfortable all of a sudden.

"If I hadn't got to you it would've been a matter of days for you to fall ill." Heirmerdinger said matter-of-factly. "Although I'm not really planning on feeding you either. Just wanted to see if I was right. Scientific curiosity over everything. I won't interfere with your own little experiment, don't worry. You can keep trying to get the perfect bikini body you've always wanted." I'd never taken him for a yordle that liked humour. His crude words struck me in a way I hadn't expected me to. He noticed, his eyes sparkling as he finally got a reaction from me.

"Not like it makes any difference, though. They'll never let you join the Pool Party." He snickered, then, as if to emphasize his words.

His eyes never left mine and he watched me with a cold expression before he sighed, finally averting his gaze. Obviously his snide remark hadn't actually hurt me all that much.

His head cocked as he remembered why he was sitting there staring at my naked body and I saw a sly smirk cross his features.

"I took the liberty of bringing your ride." He muttered, watching intently as my eyes bulged out in fear. Tristy. He couldn't possibly be talking about anything else.

My heart clenched inside of my chest and I pulled at my restrains. An incomprehensible muffle came out of my mouth, the attempt of me telling him to fuck off. He chuckled then, leaning back in his chair.

"You'll like this." He snarled, getting up and walking to the side, where a white blanket was covering something. My heart started pounding harder as he lifted it up, revealing what looked like a pile of junk but what I immediately recognised as my former mech. I wanted to scream, as I forced my body against the shackles, the stupid restrains hurting my wrists badly as I tugged with all my force. I wouldn't let myself cry, I wouldn't give him the satisfaction, but I was on the verge of tears.

Tristy was a mess. Screws were on the floor, her legs had been dismantled, maybe even crushed. I couldn't really tell from where I was. She no longer had the flamethrower attached and I couldn't localise where her mace was. My eyes darted over her as despair got the best of me.

"Sorry about the mess. I got impatient and you wouldn't wake up."

"But now for the real reason you're here." He walked over to the pile of what used to be Tristy and grabbed one of my rockets, which he'd carefully left to the side when he'd destroyed my mech. He brought it over and placed it in front of me, then sat back down on his chair and looked at me.

"Now, you might think that this is just mindless vandalism, but let me prove you wrong. You have heard of reverse engineering, right?"

He waited, as if he was actually thinking I would answer him, and then smiled smugly.

"It's the process in which you disassemble something in order to learn how to make it. So that's basically what I did with your mechanical friend." He laughed, turning to look at the pile of what was now rubbish. "It's funny how you treated it better than most beings. That cold, useless machine. I received nothing but mock and insults from you, but that mech got love and tenderness. It's almost hysterical."

I frowned at Heimerdinger, appalled. How he could possibly call 'reverse engineering' to smashing Tristy till she was useless garbage was beyond me. He was using 'science' as an excuse to hurt me.

"So, basically, I was right and that hideous ride you like so much is absolutely useless to me. Worthless if I may say so. But, this." He grabbed the rocket he'd set aside and turned it around in his hands. "Now, I will give you credit for this one. This is pure genius."

I scowled at him, this time forcing myself not to react to his taunting.

"I've been trying to come up with the blueprints to how these babies work and have been unsuccessful for a whole two months. I really couldn't take it anymore."

He turned the rocket in his hands while keeping his steady gaze on my face. I was trying so hard to not lose my resolve, but every time my eyes fell on the pile that had been Tristy it got harder and harder.

"So, you tell me the secret to these rockets or I will reverse engineer them as well."

Not a chance. I'd already lost everything that was important to me, he couldn't possibly do anything that could hurt me.

Maybe he knew what I was thinking, so he tried a different approach. He left the rocket at his side and started waving his hands in front of himself while he began rambling.

"And maybe you're thinking that knocking you out and dragging you over to my lab to be handcuffed might have been a bit rash, but I actually have other motives as well."

He paused, presumably for dramatic effect.

"I loathe you. I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual, but you are not important here. I literally can't stand even the look of you. You arrogant little mongrel. How you flounce about, pretending Tristy is the best invention ever made makes me sick to my stomach. You're a pathetic excuse for a yordle, a scientist and an engineer. Hell, you don't even qualify as a mechanic."

Each sentence he said with an even bitter tone than before. Not like I cared or it mattered, but each repulsive word that came out of his disgusting mouth made me more and more nauseated, and hate him even more.

"How you were even allowed into the League baffles me."

He thought he'd hit me where it hurt with those words. But, he was wrong. Each sentence he said just empowered me. Nothing he could say was as bad as what he'd already done. And I just wanted to take pride in the hatred he had for me. And maybe start planning my revenge.

"And I want nothing more than to watch you suffer."

After that, he was silent. At first, his features still looked at me with rage and disgust, but he slowly calmed down, a hand reaching up and stroking his ridiculous hairdo. As the minutes ticked by, he slowly looked less like he wanted to murder me and even a smile appeared on his face. Then, he started laughing. He even clutched his stomach, as if it were the funniest thing ever. I forced myself to keep a deadpan look on my face as I watched his laughter subdue. He stopped quickly, surprising me, but an evil glimmer was in his eyes as a malicious grin struck his mouth. He took a deep breath before he started speaking yet again.

"So, I don't really care if you don't tell me how these work. I'm smart enough, way more intelligent that you are, I'll figure it out somehow. You can just stay here and rot."

He snickered, turned around and walked away. He left me then, turning the lights back off. I heard footsteps as he climbed some sort of stairs and then a weird noise was caught by my sensitive hearing. A hatch. That was the only conclusion I could reach. I wasn't actually in his lab, I was somewhere underneath it. Like a secret base no one knew about.

I grimaced. How long had I been in there? How long had it been since I'd had that talk with Ziggs? Honestly, it felt like months ago, but it had probably been only a few hours. I tried to compose myself, force myself to remember. We'd talked, he'd invited me to do something, I had declined to work on Tristy… and then… and then…

I did do some work on Tristy. Tightened her screws, checked her oil. I was sure of that. Heimerdinger had said he'd knocked me out, but my head didn't hurt. And it wasn't the first time I'd passed out because I'd overworked myself. But he'd somehow managed to drag my unconscious body to his lab and underneath it. Our labs were on the same floor, and the only thing separating them was Zigg's lab. While my lab had a door big enough to fit Tristy, theirs didn't. So Heirmendinger had had to dismantle my mech in my lab, then turned her and forced her to roll from my place to his.

He'd planned this from the start. The 'reverse engineering' shit he'd spouted was complete nonsense. He wanted me gone, and for that he'd kidnapped me and made it look like I'd left on my own. If I didn't come back to the League they'd end up expelling me and then people would forget about me, and that's when he could toss my dead body somewhere and no one would care.

I'd be long dead before anyone noticed I hadn't left on my own will.

I needed to get out of there. I looked around me frantically, but in the dark I couldn't see anything. I knew Morse code, maybe I could bang my shackles against the wall and someone would hear me. So I did.

As the minutes turned into hours, I realised it was pointless, and slowly, let my body hang limp, feeling hopeless.

* * *

"Hello Rumble." I heard his voice as he turned the lights on. I didn't bother to look at him, I stayed limp, my head facing the floor. "It's day number 2."

I could tell by his footsteps getting closer that he was right next to me.

"Oh, my! What do we have here? Did you really piss yourself!?" Heirmedinger tut-tutted, shaking his head. "I should've seen it coming, you've been in here for a day…"

He hummed then, as if thinking hard about something. He presumably decided on something as he walked away a few steps and spoke some more.

"I've reached a conundrum, you see. I really want to prolong your suffering, but I don't want to have to remove your gag to feed you and hear your obnoxious whining."

"Maybe we can reach some sort of compromise, yes? You're hungry, right? I brought you some porridge. It's nice, look, smell it." He thrust it into my face, the hideous smell hitting me and forcing a reaction I didn't want my body to make. I was starving, and he could tell. "Now, if you promise to not say a word, I will remove the gag and feed you. If you break that promise, the gag goes back in and I eat the porridge while you watch."

Absurdly enough, my head nodded on its own accord. I was being helplessly strung by his every word as he removed the saliva soaked gag from my mouth and I could finally relax my face muscles. He chuckled and before I knew it, the spoon was shoved into my mouth and I had to do my best to follow his rapid rhythm.

"Oh, wow, you really _are_ hungry!" He snorted as he increased the velocity at which he was feeding me. I chocked and he took a step back, watching with horrified repugnance as I forced the food down. When I could finally breathe again, I looked into his eyes. I couldn't say a word. I couldn't even move my body. It hurt so much and every muscle and fibre in my being was in complete pain from being in that stiff, unnatural position for 24 hours. And he'd been right, I had pissed myself. I had reached my limit long ago and had to – painfully and embarrassingly – relieve myself… all over myself. It had long dried, but I had been left with a sticky and smelly patch of fur, and there was still evidence on the floor.

He shoved a full spoon back into my mouth, but this time he was more considerate and slowed down significantly. Once I'd finished eating, the now cold gag was fitted back into my mouth and I groaned as my muscles were put on trial again.

"They haven't noticed yet." He said quietly. I almost didn't catch it. Or maybe it was my tired body that couldn't cope with life anymore, but what he'd said hadn't made sense.

I looked up at him, my usual feisty look long gone from my features.

"They haven't even noticed you've gone missing." He said, matter-of-factly, taking a few steps back to inspect me properly. "They don't care about you."

My ears twitched at the sound of his snickering, the ugly laughing noises he was making made my stomach churn in a gruesome fashion. For a moment I thought I was going to vomit the porridge he'd forced down my throat.

"Not even Ziggs has noticed." Heimerdinger muttered, looking directly into my eyes. "Or maybe he has but doesn't care?"

Surely Ziggs would have noticed… right? He was my best friend, he would never forget about me. My lips trembled at the thought that I'd reassured him so well he thought I was still in my lab, working my arse off on Tristy.

"Oh, yeah, and you'll love this." He smiled faintly. "Tristana and Teemo have announced their engagement. They had kept their romance a secret for three years, did you know that?"

I really wanted to throw up now. I huffed and grumbled in discomfort, the fear that the gag could now choke me to death much more present than before. Not that I really cared if I choked on my own vomit, if Tristana was really with Teemo, I preferred to be dead than see it happen.

"The League is planning on a party this Saturday. It's too bad you're going to miss it. Want me to take a lot of pretty pictures for you to see?"

I seethed in rage, fighting against my restraints as he carefully watched my every move.

"I heard rumours she's pregnant with Teemo's child. Oh, the baby will be so cute, don't you think?"

This couldn't be happening. It couldn't be true. But Tristana and Teemo _were_ close. They were always together and they were always so lovey-dovey. So maybe she was carrying his baby and that's why they wanted to get married. I tried to kick my feelings away, the jealousy and disgust eating at me, making me sick to my stomach.

"What's the matter?" Heimerdinger teased, but his voice was distant. "Aren't you happy for your friends?"

Saliva was running down my furry muzzle. My eyes were unfocused and I had lost all energy. I didn't want to fight back anymore. I still felt the anger, the furious rage that nearly blinded me whenever I thought that Teemo was with Tristana. Kissing her, touching her, even going to have a baby with her. I'd never get the chance. Heck, at this rate, I'd never get the chance to do it with any other yordle either.

I let myself hang limp from the restraints, my muscles still on fire, especially after I'd thrown my last rage fit. He eventually got tired of watching me and left me alone.

Alone. That's how I was going to die.


	5. Chapter 4

**Hello! I just wanted to say (someone mentioned this in the reviews) that I know none of them actually live in the Institute, they just do in my stories for plot purposes. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy the chapter! :D  
**

* * *

Chapter 4

Ziggs P.O.V.

"Well, it's not so much a lead as it is a hunch?" Vi smiled cheekily as she led us along the hall.

"A hunch? A hunch!?" Caitlyn narrowed her eyes, irritated. "You know hunches won't do, Vi! We can't just continue the investigation with a hunch."

"I say we try it." I whispered. "It's the only thing we've got."

"Okay, so…" The pinkette looked around for a brief moment before leaning in and whispering. "Remember when Heimerdinger left the room before anyone else? Well, I kinda thought it was suspicious so I decided to follow him."

"So that's why you left…" Caitlyn bobbed her head slightly, a small smile forming on her face as she understood the reasons behind her partner's strange behaviour.

"Yeah, so listen up. He didn't go to bed, he went to his lab."

"But it was awfully late…" The other frowned, before gazing into Vi's eyes, who was watching her with interest. "What did you discover?"

"He was in there for over an hour. When I tailed him he went back to his place. And also, this morning? I went over to his lab and waited and he came out of there before heading to the canteen!"

"Do you think he's hiding something?"

"I honestly don't know." Vi hunched her shoulders with a sheepish grin on her face. It was almost as if she had something in mind.

"We can't really barge in without permission." Caitlyn muttered, frowning. "But I agree, it's too suspicious."

"Hey, how good's your hearing, little one?" Vi cocked her head, her intense eyes on me as she showed me a smug smile.

Yordles have very good hearing. Mine wasn't the best due to the fact that I'd been blowing stuff up for years – and that led to quite some devastating ear damage if you weren't careful, which I couldn't honestly say I was. I was about to answer her when Caitlyn started speaking.

"Well, the other option is to get Warwick to sniff around, see if he can pick up on any scents, but I'm not sure he'll be up for it."

"I've got pretty good hearing." I answered, sceptical about using Warwick.

"So, what if" Vi smiled cockily "We wait until Heimerdinger is in his lab and get this one to see if he can pick up anything that might be a lead. With that we get permission to investigate his lab and look, if we find nothing, no harm done!"

"Vi, you tailing him might not be that obvious, even if it is _you_. But the three of us will never get away with it."

"What do you suggest, then?" The enforcer frowned, crossing her arms over her chest.

"We don't get permission to enter his lab, we just do." She answered, committed.

"I like that attitude!" The other laughed, leading us down to the labs. "Let's do it!"

When we reached them, Vi hurried over to his lab and kicked the door down, stepping aside to let us enter before she did. She was smiling as she did so, obviously very pleased with herself.

"No, no, no!" Caitlyn frowned. "We were supposed to go incognito."

"How long has it been?" The pinkette murmured, walking over to Heimerdinger's desk and looking for clues.

"How long has what been?" Cait hissed.

"How long have you known me, Cupcake?" She'd looked sorta angry before, but a smug grin was on her face as she turned around to face the other woman. "You should know how I operate by now."

"Stop pissing me off and stop making a mess. This is trespassing. Stop making it so damn obvious."

"I say since we're here, we go all out." The enforcer answered, frowning as she threw some papers to the floor. "Nah, these are all blueprints."

"Hey, let me see those." I whispered. Something in the flying papers had caught my eye. Something familiar.

My right paw caught it before it hit the floor. I opened it and a gasp escaped my mouth as I realised what it was.

"This is Rumble's… Rumble's design!"

I took a closer look as Vi and Cait gathered next to me, watching closely. Something was off.

"This isn't Rumble's style… or writing."

"Well, duh. We're in Heimerdinger's lab. If I had to guess, I'd say these are old Heimer's blueprints. You know, I don't know why I think that… what could it be?" Vi seemed to be biting on a smile as she spoke.

"Stop being sarcastic. I get it already. You're happy your hunch's looking pretty positive right now." Caitlyn told her off. "But we're still not sure."

"Well, stop yakking and start looking."

I couldn't stop holding the blueprints. Something was pulling at my heart and I couldn't tell what it was. I stood there, unable to move as I watched Vi lift the desk up with one hand and look underneath. Caitlyn had finally decided to follow through and was inspecting some turrets that were neatly stacked on a table at the back.

"I… hear something." I whispered, loud enough to be heard by the police women. They turned their heads as my ears started twitching frantically. "It's getting louder."

My breath was ragged. My heart was pounding so hard it was getting in the way of the sounds I was hearing. I was so happy for a moment, thinking I had finally located Rumble, that I nearly tore the blueprints in half when my eyes landed on Heimerdinger instead.

"What are you doing in my lab?" His gaze fell on me. He wasn't questioning the police, he was asking me directly.

"Why do you have this?" I spat at him and we both stared daggers at each other, an odd silence falling on the room.

"Ziiiiiggs!" Vi whined. "And you said you had good hearing!"

I looked at her, and she had a plan, I could tell. She took two kick steps and swooped me up in her gauntlet hands, distracting Heimer's attention long enough for me to throw a smoke bomb at his feet. She placed me on her shoulders and quickly withdrew to a smoke-free place.

When the smog was gone and he'd stopped coughing, Caitlyn was pointing at him with her gun and Vi spoke.

"What have you done with Rumble, you disgusting little rat?"

"I haven't done anything. And you." Again, his angry gaze fell on me. "Are breaking the law."

My paws reached into my pockets and grabbed onto a small, circular bomb. If this got any worse, I wasn't afraid to use it. He was going to pay. For what he'd done to me and what he'd done to Rumble.

"Who gave you permission to break into my lab this way?"

"WHERE'S RUMBLE, HEIMERDINGER?" I shouted, lifting my paw and with it, the bomb I was holding.

"You'll kill us all!" He took a step back. "You've gone mad!"

"WHERE'S RUMBLE!?" My arm was trembling. I could feel my anger rise and with it the urge to bomb his ugly face right off the face of this planet augmenting.

"Alright. Move a step further and I will shoot." Caitlyn spoke, her voice sending chills down my spine.

"You wouldn't dare!" he retorted.

"You wouldn't resist so much if you were innocent." She grinned, pulling at the trigger slightly.

"Enough!" The yordle with an afro sighed, finally lifting his paws up. "I give up."

"Ziggs, put that bomb away immediately." Caitlyn warned, her gun still pointing at the furry animal. Vi placed me on the ground and walked over to Heimerdinger, cuffing his hands at the front of him.

"If you're as smart as you say you are, you'll lead us to Rumble."

The yordle muttered something under his breath but started walking towards a corner of the lab. He stopped in front of a bookshelf.

"Move this."

With one quick push from the enforcer, the furniture was on the floor, and she was on her knees, opening a hatch.

"You lead." Caitlyn pushed the yordle forward by nudging his back with her gun.

We walked down the stairs and he turned the light on.

In front of us was a very naked and very scared Rumble. He looked overly thin. His eyes widened when he saw us, and I just wanted to run to him, take the gag off and hug him tightly. I was about to do just that when a hand was placed on my shoulder and I was immediately thwarted.

"Don't." Vi whispered. "He might be in shock."

I didn't know what that meant or what the consequences of that was, but I watched as Caitlyn walked over towards my friend, who flinched in fear when she tried to touch his shackles.

"Hello Rumble." She spoke softly, smiling at him. "Ziggs came to save you."

His eyes turned to me and my insides churned horribly. He looked awful, worse than I could have ever imagined.

The sheriff managed to remove the gag from his mouth, and a dribble of saliva came trickling out.

"Release him." Vi snarled, pushing Heimer forward. The yordle tut-tutted, before telling us the keys to his shackles were in a drawer in his desk. The enforcer huffed in annoyance, picking him up and taking them both upstairs. She came back a few minutes later, keys in her gauntlets, striding quickly towards the chained animal. She released him and Cait caught Rumble before his body gave in and she quickly placed him in my awaiting hands. He felt lighter than I remembered him as I muttered words of encouragement in his ear. He seemed so out of it.

"Is he drugged?" The enforcer asked, touching his head gently.

"I didn't give him anything." The other yordle answered, looking away, embarrassed.

"I think he's just very weak." The sheriff muttered, a warm look on her face as she watched us. "I think you should carry him, Vi."

"Sorry little one." She said as she took Rumble out of my arms and cradled him like a baby. He still looked terrified, but he turned his head to me and spoke, his voice raspy.

"Ziggs… buddy" He croaked.

"You'll be alright." I answered, lifting my paw to squeeze his, hoping that would give him hope.

"You came for me."

"Always." I smiled at him. It was my usual toothy grin. He tried to smirk but gave up half-way.

"You… didn't forget me."

"I'd never!"

He closed his eyes then, and I think exhausting took the best of him and he fell asleep. We took him to the hospital and they immediately started running tests on him. I stayed by his side all the time, holding his hand unless I was told to move away from him.

I spoke to him softly, not knowing if he was asleep or in a coma, and not wanting him to wake up if it was the former.

The other yordles were told of the news and most of them came to see him. Tristana came rushing in and cried in my arms when she saw him, sobbing loudly and in relief.

"You were right, Ziggs." She muttered, trying her best to stop the tears from falling.

Rumble slept all day and through all the night. He woke up late the next morning, and I was still there, next to him, gripping his paw tightly.

He looked at me groggily and smiled faintly.

"Good. It really did happen."

"It's over now, buddy." I grinned at him and he nodded, closing his eyes.

I spoke to him about all the things that had happened while he'd been kidnapped. He nodded from time to time, but his eyes were still closed so I wasn't sure he'd listened to all of it. It didn't matter. He was safe and with me, and that's all that I cared about.

He was suffering from severe malnutrition, the doctors said. They had him on drips but I still forced him to eat when he was awake. He didn't seem too displeased with this, but it did take him a while to finish, and most of the time he wasn't even able to.

Tristana came to see him on a regular basis and this got him in a _very_ good mood. She seemed very happy to see him safe and back, and even _Teemo_ seemed pleased that he was alright. Rumble even seemed to tolerate his visits, especially when he came alone.

"Ziggs" Rumble spoke, eating the apple he'd been forced on by me at tea time. "I have a… question I need to ask."

"Yeah, buddy? What's up?"

"Are… are…" He stopped, looking away nervously. He swallowed hard. "Are Trist and Teemo getting married?"

"What!? No!"

"Is she… is she having his baby?"

"Did Hei…" I stopped myself. I'd already discussed this with the other yordles, and we had promised not to speak his name out loud or talk about his time kidnapped. We didn't want to bring up any painful memories, and I wouldn't press about what had happened while he was chained up in his lab. I was aching to know and I wanted to punch the yordle responsible, but I didn't want to cause any more trauma, or force Rumble to end up with PTSD. I breathed in. "What did he say?"

"He told me they'd gotten engaged and she was expecting his child. He told me no one would come to rescue me because no one cared for me."

"Aw, buddy. You know that's not true, right? You've seen how they all care for you, how they've come to see you, how I rescued you."

"Yeah, I know." He looked away, his gaze falling to the window.

I could only stare. Stare at his tired, sad eyes as he looked outside. Stare as his paws twitched, as his fingers slowly moved.

I didn't even begin to understand what he'd been through, and here I was, playing the saviour and forcing him to be a victim.

"Hey Ziggs." He whispered, turning his head to look at me.

"Yeah, Rumbs, what's wrong?"

"Why don't you go home?"

His words hurt like a punch to the stomach, but in the heart. I knew he meant no harm, and I was sure he'd said it to help me, since I'd been by his side for over 15 hours, but it didn't sit well with me.

"Don't you want me to stay?" I tried hard not to stammer and he looked worried when I answered him in that way.

"You saved me, so now I want to do this for you." He looked back at me, a weak smile on his face. "I want you to rest."

I eventually gave up on trying to persuade him of the fact that I needed to stay with him. I did smell kinda bad and my back was starting to protest the fact that I hadn't been in a comfortable place for a long time. So I waved goodbye at him with my most cheerful fake smile and walked over to my home. I stopped by the cafeteria to get some coffee, still too agitated to get any sleep and found myself walking over to Teemo and Tristana.

"Hey, Ziggs, heard the news?" she asked, a faint smile radiating from her face.

"What news?" My cup was on my lips and tilted in a way the beverage entered my mouth, scorching my tongue. I bit down swears as Teemo giggled.

"They've judged Heimerdinger already." She spoke, leaning back, getting comfortable. "Turns out he was a psychopath all along. Yikes! Scary, right? You think you know a guy… Psychologists have been running tests on him. I heard they're gonna make Rumble do them too."

"To see if he has PTSD?" I inquired, not knowing much about mental diseases. It seemed like a normal procedure after what had happened to him.

"I guess so." She shrugged before turning to Teemo and tugging on him. "Hey, Teems, let's go and check on him."

"Again?" He sighed, rolling his eyes. He seemed slightly annoyed, maybe even jealous.

"Let's ask about the tests then, I'm really curious." She pulled harder, this time getting him to follow along. They waved goodbye at me, Teemo looking slightly resigned as he did. I tilted my head, un uneasy feeling forming in my chest.

It was obvious he had feelings for her. I just hoped he was subtle enough to not make Rumble notice, the last thing I wanted was for him to get upset over Tristana again.

I blew on my coffee this time and took a sip of the noticeably cooler drink. My tongue was still in pain but there wasn't much I could do about it, so I ignored it as I drank it down in one go, making my way over to my room.

Coffee and caffeine had never really had much of an effect on me. I was already high-strung enough as it was, and overly enthusiastic and hyperactive, so people assumed that giving me caffeine would just augment my over the top personality, but they were wrong. Proof of that was the fact that I collapsed on my bed just minutes after I'd downed a full mug of the canteen's strongest blend.

When I woke up it was seriously late. Midnight, and I was starving. I pushed myself off my mattress and quickly made my way to my kitchen, hoping I could find something relatively easy to prepare to sooth my hunger. A part of me thought maybe I should just go to sleep again and eat in the morning, but my rumbling tummy hoped otherwise. And I wanted to go see Rumble again, or see if they had any updates on him.

They did. After eating a large bowl of badly made pasta, I ran to visit him but I wasn't let into his room. They'd told me it was very late and I'd get to see him in the morning. I rolled my eyes at this, but walked away, trying to not sulk about their decision. I knew they were professionals and knew what they were doing. That's when I overheard the conversation. Two yordles I had never seen before were discussing something over a few pieces of paper, but what I got from what they were saying was clear.

Rumble had depression.

I'd never suffered from any mental illness, as far as I knew. Of course I'd never always been _happy_ , but I could guess depression was a serious matter. Maybe that would explain his lack of eating and his secretiveness. It's true that we'd distanced each other lately, and I couldn't quite pinpoint when it had started happening. It was annoying me that I considered him my best friend but I hadn't noticed these key things about him.

And my mind wouldn't stop nagging at me about Heimerdinger's condition. He'd always been a psychopath? What did that mean? How come we hadn't noticed? Was it something you don't notice? Is it something easy to hide? I'd heard tales of psychopaths that murdered people and were horribly violent, but I wasn't sure how true that was. Heimerdinger hadn't murdered anyone. Having said that though, he _had_ kidnapped Rumble and had had him in shackles, completely naked, dehydrated and starving, which was inhumane.

* * *

I went to visit him again in the morning and walked in on him arguing with a nurse, refusing to take his medicine.

"I don't want any pills!" He waved his arms, still attached to the drips. "I don't need them!"

I was in half a mind to walk away and pretend I hadn't seen anything. I didn't really know what to do or say in this kind of situation, but as his friend I kinda had to do what he needed best. And it seemed that the white capsules she was trying to give him were what was best for him so I sighed, pulling on an agreeable smile as I walked into the room.

"Now, now, Rumble." I mumbled gently. "You need them to get better."

He turned his head to look at me, staring into my eyes strangely. He calmed down immediately, his arms going back down to rest at his sides. He opened his mouth and let the woman place a pill in his cavity and drank from the glass of water she offered him. She complimented him and gave me a thankful look before leaving, closing the door behind us.

"Apparently I have depression" He confessed. I was surprised he'd just spilled it out, with how closed he'd been with others recently. "Which is stupid."

"Why's it stupid, buddy?" I asked, grabbing a seat and sitting next to him. He just shrugged his shoulders, still not daring to look at me.

"I'm not depressed. I'm just listless."

I was no expert but that seemed like a symptom. I frowned at him, worried.

"Okay, so, maybe I'm depressed." He finally agreed, sighing in frustration and throwing his head back against the pillow. "But I don't want to take the stupid medicine."

"Why not?" I whispered, trying to hold back the surprise his actions and words were having on me.

"I don't want them messing with my head." He admitted, finally looking at me. "You understand, right, buddy?"

My fingers tickled with a new sensation, the burn of me wanting to hold onto his paws tightly and I reached out to calm my nerves by doing just that. His eyes trailed my action before returning to gaze into my face.

He looked so much better now. Well rested. His blue fur was shining like it hadn't done in a few months. And his eyes didn't seem like there were an unending pool of misery anymore. He didn't look perfect, but obviously after everything that had happened that would still take some time.

"I… guess I do." I finally answered, squeezing his paws in my grip and turning my quizzical look into a gentle smile. "But I think you need to take them. You won't always need to take them anyway, someday you'll get better."

"I wanna get better without them." He sighed.

"It will be faster if you take the medicine, buddy." I whispered, coaxing him with my smile and words. "Trust me. Your work will be fine."

"It's not just my work…" He closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them and focusing his on mine. "But okay, I'll do it for you. Because you asked me nicely."

And I think that, that day, when I left him, something had changed inside of Rumble.

* * *

 **So this site won't show the lovely piece of fanart which I have received, so I'll just give you the link: post/180833464888/rumble-drawn-by-the-lovely-olary-go-check-out. It was made by Olary! Go check out her DeviantArt ( bondsky) and send her some love!**  
 **I was so very touched to recieve a drawing of Rumble since he's the best 3 and the drawing is so great, I love it!**

 **To anyone wondering why Heimerdinger gave the idea that the security cameras had been tampered with - which ultimately led to him getting caught - was because he was planning on tampering with them to make them look like Rumble had done it, but because the investigation started he wasn't able to.**

 **I want to thank all of the response this fanfic has received, I am very grateful of every kudos and like, thank you for sticking with me :)**

 **I've also created a twitter for my writing! if you're interested follow me Calucadu. I want to preview little snipets of the next chapters of my works, if you'd be interested in it. You can also always DM me or tweet me telling me what you'd like me to update next :)**

 **Have a wonderful day!**


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Rumble P.O.V.

There were drips in both my arms and I just wanted to rip them out. I struggled with the uncomfortable sensation before my gaze slowly turned to Ziggs, who was watching me, cautious.

He'd been worried sick since I'd been told I was suffering depression and was given medication. He made sure I ate properly and took my pills diligently. His excessive caring was starting to annoy me slightly. I could understand where he came from, since I'd been secretive and then disappeared, but I was honestly fine.

After some meditating, getting kidnaped by Heimerdinger had actually been a good thing in my eyes. I'd started appreciating a whole lot of things. I'd try to get Tristana, and if I couldn't I'd find myself an equally good yordle to spend the rest of my life with, I wasn't just going to throw away this gift that I'd been given.

Sure, I didn't have Tristy anymore, and there was a black hole in my heart that couldn't be mended because of that, but that didn't mean I wouldn't get better. The small talk I'd had with Ziggs was still on my mind. The idea that the pills could actually help me was now urging me to take my medication properly.

I was especially happy to hear Tristana and Teemo weren't in a relationship. It made me giddy with happiness and excitement. I could be the one for her, I was sure.

I couldn't wait until I was released from hospital and I could go back out there and… live. I'd never really been bothered by staying indoors too long. In fact, quite the opposite. But there was something about being stuck on this hospital bed that had every nerve in my body tingling with desire to move about. I kept asking when I would be allowed to leave but the answers were always vague or negative. They wanted to run more tests on me or some shit like that.

On the fourth day I was particularly agitated, my limbs twitching with the need to do things. I was also in a foul mood, since they had removed the drips but they'd prohibited me from going outside. When Ziggs came in I almost snarled at his chirpiness, but he just laughed it off.

"Good news, ol' buddy!" He nearly sang, sitting on what was now his personal chair. He looked at me with a smile so radiant the sun was getting a run for its money. I huffed, not believing that anything could make this day an actual good one. "They'll be letting you go soon! Tomorrow! _And_ we're holding a party for our favourite moody yordle!"

"What!?" I clapped my hands in excitement, so happy from hearing something so promising.

"You heard me! Prepare yourself for the _fiesta_ of a lifetime!" He almost screamed, his eyes shining.

* * *

I was the last one to enter the place were the party was being held. The room was dark, save for the round disco ball that was spinning at the centre of the ceiling, gently illuminating the room as it spun. There were tables with food at the far end, and every yordle invited was dressed smartly. I, of course, was too. I was greeted with cheers and hugs and immediately a glass of alcohol was placed in my paw by a very keen Ziggs.

"I can't drink." I told him, thinking about what I'd been told when I was instructed on how to take my medication.

"Shhh, it'll be our little secret." He put a finger to his lips and smirked. "You deserve this one day off."

Smiling and nodding, I downed it in one whole gulp. He laughed, putting his arm around my shoulders and raising his own glass.

"To Rumble, the bestest friend a yordle could have!" He cheered, clinking imaginary glasses with his own. "Let the party commence!"

A loud hurrah was heard throughout the room and music started to play. Soon my glass was filled again and Ziggs was the responsible of pouring into his, so I figured he'd been behind the filling of mine too. He clinked our glassware together, smiling, his eyes boring into mine.

"To us, buddy, to our friendship, but especially, to you, for pulling through." He spoke over the loud music, pulling me into a tight hug. "Don't ever forget you're the strongest yordle I know."

"Thanks, Ziggs. You're great too."

"I know I am! Now, dance!" He smirked, pulling me away and pushing me into the dance floor, where I was caught by Poppy, who offered her hand to me. She looked gorgeous, her hair in an elaborate bun with two strands lose that framed her face. She was wearing a simple yet long light blue dress and matching heals. She'd always been taller than me but with those shoes she was just adding insult to injury. I beamed at her nonetheless, grabbing her paw and pulling her to me, so we could dance the slow waltz the music was playing. I felt a light pang in my heart as I thought that this should be Tristana in my hold, and that the special and first dance should always be with the one you love. But she was currently chatting to Kennen by the food tables, snacking on something, glass in her hand.

"I'm so glad you're back." Poppy said barely audibly thanks to the racket. I turned my attention at her then, not wanting to seem rude. "You've no idea what Ziggs went through just for you."

"He won't speak of it." I muttered, my foot accidentally prodding her. I apologized as she giggled.

"I'm surprised how good you are at dancing." She commented, making me spin before catching me again.

"Ha, ha." I spat out with no ill intent, I was having a blast being led by her.

"I'm being serious here. My guess was you'd be on the floor in the first few seconds. You're not a natural, I can tell, but you're doing your best."

"I hardly think treading all over you is me 'doing my best'." I hummed, trying to get her to spin around like I'd done but she wouldn't budge. She smirked at my attempt to lead.

"But, really, I mean it. I'm so glad you're safe. I feel really bad I didn't listen to Ziggs from the start." She continued, her eyes glancing at our intertwined feet as I tried my best to not get the movements wrong, failing miserably.

"What?" I asked, my focus faltering. She narrowly avoided my trampling feet.

"Not important." She waved me off. "You're back and safe and that's all that matters. Have fun tonight, it's your night."

"Yeah, thanks."

The music eventually died down and she gently pulled away from my body, smiling and waving goodbye as she offered her hand to Teemo, who, surprisingly enough, wasn't wearing a camo tuxedo. He took it bashfully and was as astonished as me when she started to lead.

I walked over to the food table, where Corki started a brief conversation in between stuffing his face with cheese. I hummed and nodded appropriately, not knowing what else to say. The music changed again and I found my eyes turning to Tristana, who was being offered to dance by Teemo.

I grit my teeth, watching as her lilac dress flowed with every movement she made, her neatly combed hair dancing with her, her smiling face directed at someone who wasn't me.

Ziggs must've noticed my sour expression, since he walked over to where I was, and, without waiting for me to hold onto his extended paw, he grabbed my wrist with his free hand, immediately spinning me around in this uncoordinated dance he thought was appropriate for the mood. He laughed as I tried to match his movements. If there was a worse dancer than me in this room, it was probably him. But, unlike me, he was okay with being bad, maybe he even embraced it.

He rolled us around the dance floor, paying no heed to the music's rhythm or how he was butchering it in his own way and cackling maniacally every time I lost my step. He seemed slightly buzzed. Oh, if only I'd known how much he was going to drink I might've stopped him.

"You should ask her to a dance." He muttered into my ear when he pulled me towards his body, so it looked like we were embracing. "Go on, now's your chance."

And he wasn't wrong. I'd been thinking about it. Get her or give up. Those words had given me a new perspective, a new idea. I just had to see what she chose. Even if I'd always choose her.

The song slowly died down and Ziggs twirled me around one last time before pushing me towards her, a sly smirk on his face that I knew very well from our teens. Blushing, I gently pulled Tristana towards me, my hand delicately touching her waist as our bodies approached each other. My heart was beating in my chest as I grabbed her paw and raised it to my lips, to kiss it lovingly as I gazed into her startled eyes. She blushed. I couldn't help but think how gorgeous she looked under the changing light and her pinkish cheeks. I was trying to show her just what I could give her. I was perfect for her. I could give her everything she needed and more.

I was the one.

"Care for a dance?" I smirked, an eyebrow raised. She nodded enthusiastically and I held her waist tighter, our paws adjusting to the new music. The slow, romantic notes hit my ears and I couldn't help the blush that was forming on my face. I was sure this was no other than Ziggs' doing, trying to set a mood. I was internally grateful as she stepped closer to me, putting her head on top of my shoulder. I was sure my heart would burst out of my chest any minute, and it only got worse as her lips nearly touched my neck when she raised her head to whisper in my ear.

"You have no idea how much I've missed you."

I held onto her tighter, my eyes widening. I pulled my head back, trying to get a better look at her face, and she lifted hers and our eyes interlocked for a few seconds, making my heart beat even faster, probably beating some world record or something. I wanted to kiss her so much, but I knew I couldn't. It was sort of a relief to think that Teemo didn't either, so at least I had that.

It was so perfect, our bodies twirling together. Even if I was pretty bad and had to concentrate twice as much as any other normal yordle, it was still magical. It seemed she didn't mind that I missed a beat or put my foot in the wrong place or forgot the order in which the steps went. At least I didn't tread on her, and I was secretly very pleased with myself about it.

But the most perfect moment couldn't last forever as the music ended and she smiled at me, congratulating me. I wanted to grab her and pull her towards me, tell her she was the world to me and that I couldn't live without her, but I just beamed back at her, watching as she made her way to talk to Poppy.

I didn't miss how Ziggs quickly slunk over to where she was and pulled her apart from the other female. They talked for a while and I pretended it didn't bother me as I went to talk to Lulu, offering to dance with her too.

'I'm at a party, I might as well have fun too', I thought, trying not to pull her off of me. Lulu had a pretty weird way of dancing. Well, she had a pretty weird way of doing a lot of things, but this was a new thing I hadn't expected. She'd circled my neck with her arms and was clinging onto me almost painfully. She chattered about Veigar and Pix as she wiggled her hips happily. I was extremely glad the song had changed and wasn't romantic anymore. I didn't want her to get the wrong idea.

After Lulu, I was officially exhausted. I'd had to drag her weight along the dancefloor as well as my own and I was drained. I made my way to a chair and sat there, watching as Kennen was now in charge of dragging the clingy female yordle around, and he didn't look at all pleased about it.

Ziggs brought me a drink and something to eat and I thanked him with a smile. He was talking more than usual, but I just thought he was excited, or happy.

"So." He got closer to me, his paws on my shoulders as he leaned in. "How was the dance?"

"Great." I exhaled contently, reclining my body against the chair.

* * *

Ziggs was up on the disco ball and shouting stuff at everyone. I honestly have no idea how he got up there but I was 90% sure he'd blasted himself up. It was hilarious the way he was in constant argument with Poppy about the probabilities of him getting down.

"ZIGGS GETS DOWN RIGHT NOW!" She yelled.

"NEVER!" He chuckled back, having the last sip of his now empty glass. He groaned, not knowing what to do with it, thankfully being wiser than to throw it at the crowd under him. He was smashed, but still had a slight smidgen of sense left in him. "GET ME SOME MORE OF THIS!"

"ZIGGS, DON'T MAKE ME COME UP THERE!"

"OR WHAT?"

"OR YOU WILL REGRET HAVING ENTERED THE LEAGUE."

"OI KENNEN." Ziggs diverted his attention. "LEAVE SOME CRISPS FOR THE REST OF US, WHY DON'T YOU?"

"Someone go get a ladder." Poppy growled, rubbing her temple like she was having a particularly painful headache.

I was chuckling at the scene, somewhat intoxicated myself, when Tristana made her way towards me, clinging onto my neck.

I heard a wolf whistle come from above me and I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't help the embarrassed and hopeful smirk spread on my face. I held onto her and pulled her back gently to look into her eyes with a questionable expression.

"I missed you, Rumble." She slurred, her face getting uncomfortably close to mine, if she were anyone else.

"Tristana…" I tried to speak to her, but she stopped me, putting a dainty little finger on my lips, a devilish smile on hers.

"Promise me you'll never go missing again."

I couldn't actually promise something like that, but I could never say no to her, so I nodded as she gently pulled the digit away from my snout.

"Good, 'cause I don't know what I'd do without you."

Was she inviting me? Or was it all in my head? I looked at her with wide eyes as she swayed her hips and rocked her head, her eyes shut. She seemed content in my arms and didn't complain or pull away when I closed the gap between us slightly.

Tristana grinned, opening her eyes slowly, as if with some difficulty. I thought she was nodding off, and it wouldn't surprise me, given how drunk she seemed. She wobbled a bit and I secured her in place, weary of her balance. She kissed me then. It was a small peck on the lips, one I knew no one had even noticed except for the celestine hanging from the ceiling. Speaking of, he'd started howling, excited, and was screaming a variety of obscenities at us.

"GO GET HER RUMBLE!" Was the mildest of his phrases but honestly I was too dumbstruck by her actions to even focus on my best friend's rude remarks. She took my paw with hers and tugged me slightly.

"Take me to my room." She whispered into my ear and I nodded eagerly, letting her pull me away.

By then, Poppy had arrived with a ladder and had already started climbing it.

"RUMBLE YOU GO, DOG! HEY, HEY! GET OFF ME! DON'T PULL MY LEEEEEG! AAAAAAAAAAH!"

"GET DOWN! YOU ARE GOING TO FALL!"

"HEEELP MEEE, A WICKED WITCH IS PULLING MEEE!"

We exited the room, the last I heard of the fight between Ziggs and Poppy being my friend screaming at me to succeed at pounding Tristana. I hoped she hadn't heard that and she didn't notice how red my ears had turned.

She led me out of the building where the party had been and then stopped abruptly, throwing herself on me. She kissed me eagerly, and all my doubts vanished. She wanted this.

"Take me to your place." She hushed, her face red, her paws clinging onto my suit.

I nodded, grabbing her waist and walking bristly towards my bed, where we could be alone. Intimate.

My heart was pounding and I was giddy. I kept glancing over at her, to make sure it was really happening and that she was still on board. She seemed excited as she chatted away semi-incoherently as we made our way towards my place. I was supporting her weight, nearly carrying her and I had to practically drag her up the stairs to my apartment.

When we finally got there, I let her go gently to open the door. This proved to be a most difficult task, with her pressing herself against the wood, singing incoherently, and my slightly intoxicated actions, making it hard for me to put the key in the lock. I got it in finally and turned it, grabbing onto her so she wouldn't fall on her face as the door swung open. She hurried to the sofa, throwing herself on it and threw her hands up, inviting me in.

I closed the door behind us, leaving the keys to a side. I frowned at the scene, slightly uncomfortable for some reason.

"Trist, you're really drunk…"

"So?" She giggled and finally managed to sit up. She forced herself to me, her arms wrapping around my body.

"Are you sure you want to do this? I can take you to your place…"

"Shhhhh." To make her point clear, she pressed her lips clumsily against mine and I watched her with wide eyes, not sure if this was a figment of my imagination or reality. "I want to be here, Rumble."

She met my lips with a kiss, and my doubts basically vanished. She wanted me. Tristana wanted _me_! She deepened the kiss, her tongue hungry for mine, searching my mouth sloppily as her paws unbuttoned the jacket of my suit, slipping her hands under my shirt to caress my chest.

It felt so good I couldn't help myself and hummed pleasantly against her lips, to which she chuckled in return. She broke apart and tried to stand up, nearly falling. I grabbed her as she wobbled and I looked at her, silently asking for answers.

"Bed. Now." She slurred and made me get up eagerly. She held my hand and started walking with me behind. We entered my room and I nearly didn't have time to regret the mess I'd left it in. She didn't seem to care as she shoved me towards the bed and started kissing me again, making us fall on it. I followed her lead and snuck my tongue into her mouth, making her moan.

Clothes were torn off our hot bodies hastily, but I didn't want to rush what could possibly be the best moment of my life. So far. I took the time to savour her body with my eyes and paws, eliciting sweet whines of pleasure from her.

"And you're okay with this happening?" I asked, eyeing her cautiously. I needed to know. She nodded eagerly, granted, maybe a little annoyed but continued to kiss me, before her mouth reached my neck and nipped gently at my fur, making me melt.

And her kisses strayed lower, and with that it started but that's better left untold.

The morning after, however, wasn't quite as fun. I woke up to Tristana screaming next to me.

"OH NO, NO, NO, NO, NO."

"Hnnnn?" I mumbled, forcing my eyes to get adjusted to the light in the room. I think we'd been cuddled up until she'd stirred awake.

"This didn't happen!" She yelled, getting up and pointing at me, at her, at the bed and then all around her. "We will never speak of this again. You will NEVER tell anyone. This didn't happen. Understand me?"

I propped up on my bed and scratched my chest lightly as her words started sinking in.

"What didn't happen?" I whispered, not sure what she was talking about.

She glared at me and that's when I realised she was still naked.

"Rumble." Was all she said, her tone of voice ice cold.

"Oh!" My eyes opened wide as I started remembering everything we'd done the night before. I wanted to make a comment on how perfect it had all been but it seemed out of place.

"No one will ever know this happened, understand me?"

"You're naked." I pointed out, thinking it would be a good idea to spare her some embarrassment.

"OH WELL FUCK ME!" She screamed in frustration, looking frantically for her clothes around the room.

"Yeah, I did that last night." I laughed slightly, ending it in an ample grin.

"Rumble, I'm going to fucking kill you!"

I was about to make another quick pun when she threw my suit trousers into my face.

"Ok, Tristana," I got up from my bed and walked over to her, to comfort her, but when I tried pulling my arm around her she took a step back. "Calm down. Let's talk things through."

"Need clothes first. Wait." She put on a T-shirt, and I decided not to point out it was one of mine. She found some trousers and then she sighed.

"Look, Rumble, last night was a mistake. I'm sorry. I was drunk."

"I asked you and asked you, Trist!" I groaned in protest, slamming the palm of my paw against my forehead. "I really wanted to make sure you were ok with it."

"I know! That's the worst bit!" She moaned. "Oh gods, I'm going to be sick."

"Bathroom's over there." I pointed her to it and she grunted at me.

"Forget about this, ok? It didn't happen."

"You know I can't do that, right? You can't just do this to me, Tristana."

"I know, I know!" She whined, throwing her head back, her hands rolling into tight fists in her lap. "But, please."

"This is the best thing that's ever happened to me." I mumbled, deciding to finally take the plunge. I turned her face to look at me, my paws gently resting on her chin. I wanted to coat her in light kisses, but restrained myself, taking a deep breath to calm myself. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I don't want this to be a one-night thing. I don't want to have to forget it, pretend like nothing's happened between us. I've been waiting for too long for my feelings to just vanish completely."

"Rumble…" She spoke, her words soft as her face scrunched up in a series of emotions I couldn't quite recognise. She seemed almost guilty, a tinge of sadness mixed in as well.

"I love you. I always will. Last night was the best thing… I couldn't have wished for it to be any different, it was just perfect. I want to do it again, many, many times. I want to live my life with you, follow you and your dreams, stay at your side."

Tears were in her eyes before I could think of other ways to voice my feelings. I was taken aback but wasted no time to wipe the droplets off her cheeks, smiling warmly at her. I hadn't expected her to be so moved by my confession. But a part of me knew, the other was hoping she'd embrace me forever and whisper that her feelings were the same.

"Rumble, I…" She started to say, but stopped herself. She closed her eyes and breathed in. When she opened them again, they were shinning with a new intensity.

"I've always known you had feelings for me. I thought it was some stupid crush, I'm sorry, I didn't understand just how deeply you felt for me. I am truly sorry."

"Wha-What?" I stammered, not knowing what she was getting at.

"I shouldn't have done this to you, I know. I wasn't trying to play with your feelings or anything. It was an honest drunk mistake. I was just so happy that you were back, and I thought that because of everything that had happened, being with me would… make it all a bit better, but I didn't… I… I should've foreseen this. Just because you want something, giving it to you briefly won't solve anything. I should've thought it through, thought about your feelings in the long run, and I'm sorry."

I opened my mouth, hoping words would come out, but they didn't, so I ended up closing it again, my brow furrowing, uneasiness pooling in my stomach again.

"Can we just… pretend this didn't happen?" She asked, her eyes pleading silently.

"You… have no feelings for me?" I questioned, my words slow on my tongue, as if I didn't really want to say them. I knew the answer of course. I'd always known. Even if we had had sex, it didn't mean anything. It hadn't meant anything to her. She'd done it out of pity, and that kind of stung the most. I had thought she wanted it, she wanted me, that maybe she felt something, and that maybe that something could grow into something else, and we could end up married with little yordle pups and happy and then die old. But no.

She'd fucked me out of pity.

Because I'd been kidnapped.

And I had been diagnosed with depression.

I wanted to be angry. I wanted to be furious, to say something to her, but I just stared at her, my expression blank, like I had no energy left.

"I… don't. But, you'll always be a very important friend, Rumble." She whispered apologetically, patting my hand uncomfortably. I had the urge to pull it away, but I couldn't be mean to her.

She was the love of my life. I couldn't just be spiteful to her, I couldn't take it out on her. If this were any other yordle or human in front of me or behaving like this, they would see the murder in my eyes. But her… I couldn't stop the bubbling feelings in my tight chest, hoping I'd do something about them.

"Just… go." I managed to say, my hands going limp at my sides. "I need to be alone right now."

"Rumble, are you okay?"

How could I be? My heart had just been shattered into a million bite size pieces and the fist that had done such an atrocity was threatening to punch me in the gut as well. But I couldn't voice the hurt, the raw emotion that was swelling up inside of me, so close to the verge of overflowing that I thought I'd start sobbing uncontrollably there and then.

"Can you… not tell anyone? About this? It'll be easier on you too."

My paws were shaking. With rage or from the feeling of being about to cry, I couldn't quite tell. Not like the reason mattered, I just wanted it to stop. I was so vulnerable in front of the person I wanted to be my strongest.

"Alright." I finally managed to say. "Fine. Sure. Yeah. You win. This didn't happen."

"You won't tell anyone, right? Not even Ziggs?"

"Tristana!" I yelled, finally sitting up, my gaze on the floor as I hadn't been able to look her in the eye for a while now. "Grab your dress and your shoes and whatever else you want and. Let. Me. Be. Alone. Now. Thank you."

"Rumble?" She asked, grabbing my paws gently. She leaned in when I looked at her and she gave me a quick kiss on the lips. "I'm sorry." She whispered, grabbing her things and leaving my room.


End file.
